


The Trick Is to Keep Breathing

by BlueHedgehog



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Drowning, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mouth-to-Mouth, Secondary Drowning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 16:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11672877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueHedgehog/pseuds/BlueHedgehog
Summary: Prompto can't swim.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kink meme fill. Prompt: Prompto can't swim and drowns. Full prompt here: http://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3892.html?thread=5887028

"... and then she said, 'You'll pay for the carpet.' Right, Prompto?" There was no reply. "Prompto?"  
  
Noctis stopped and turned around. "Where's Prompto?"  
  
Ignis followed suit. "He was right behind me. Prompto!"  
  
Gladio frowned and turned as well. "Prompto!"  
  
Still no reply. Between the thick leaves of the forest and the reflections of the pond, it was hard to tell if he had fallen behind, or if they just couldn't see him through between the trees. Not hearing him, either, was more worrisome. Noctis took a quick look at his phone - maybe he could just give him a ring. No reception. "I don't like this."  
  
"Neither do I." Ignis scanned the area behind them, trying to remember where he had last seen their friend. Prompto joked around a lot, but he knew the limits. If this was a prank, he would have replied by now. If he had been attacked or fallen, he would have made noise. There were very few explanations for the sudden silence, and none of them were good. "He cannot be far. I saw him two minutes ago, at most. Gladio-"  
  
"Oh gods." Noct's voice was quiet, but the terror in it cut through what Ignis had to say with ease. He looked at the prince, then followed his gaze to the pond. They started running at the same time, Gladio only fractions of a second behind them.  
  
Down in the pond, a tuft of blond hair showed between the water lilies. The rest of Prompto was submerged, and it didn't look like he was moving. It wasn't even that far from the bank, just a step to the side. He should have been able to get back out easily with just a few kicks at the water. Stretching out, Gladio didn't even need to get in to get hold of his upper arms. "Shit, he's stuck." He tried to get Prompto's face over the surface, at least, but whatever he had gotten tangled in held him down too tight to get enough leeway. "Iggy--"  
  
Ignis held on and tried to pull as well, while Noct was already in the water, diving down so quickly that he didn't hear Ignis' "Be careful!" anymore.  
  
The murky water stung in his eyes, and he could barely make out anything at all. He felt along Prompto's legs, trying to find what held him. Success didn't come as quickly as he was hoping, he needed to get up and breathe once, then dive back down. There it was - a stone. He had his boot stuck behind a stone. It made no sense, Noct thought as he dislodged it. The angle at which they were pulling him was awkward enough to make this stupid thing a problem, but Prompto should have been able to get it out easily enough on his own.  
  
When Noct came back up, Ignis and Gladio had already pulled Prompto out. Gladio was yelling at him, shaking his shoulders, and when he was back out of the water, Ignis was holding an ear close to Prompto's face, watching his chest. It was still.  
  
Ignis didn't waste time stating the obvious - _He's not breathing_ , Noct's brain supplied him anyway, on repeat, over and over. He could silence the thought just long enough to stutter out another, more important one. "Head. He might have hit his head." It was the only explanation he could find for Prompto to _drown_ this close to the water's edge.  
  
Ignis nodded, minding Prompto's neck when he rolled him to the side, allowing Gladio to make sure there was nothing stuck in his throat. A little water drizzled out, not nearly as much as Noct had been expecting.  
  
"---down. Noct! Phoenix down!"  
  
Noct shook his head. "We don't---"  
  
Gladio spit a curse, and Prompto was on his back again. Ignis pushed his jaw up and chin down, pinched his nose, and breathed into him. His chest rose and then fell, just like it should have on its own.  
  
No phoenix down. They usually had at least one, and hoped to never need it, but things hat been crazy, and now... Now Prompto wasn't breathing.  
  
"Keep going, Iggy, there's a pulse. Not much of one, but better than nothing."  
  
All Noct could do for the moment was watch, and wait, and hope that the breaths Ignis provided him with would eventually do _something_. Noct found himself counting along.  
  
Ten.  
  
Fifteen.  
  
Twenty. Gladio took over for Ignis, and Noct could move again to get closer, help in case his help was needed.  
  
Twenty-five.  
  
Thirty.  
  
Thirty-two. Almost three minutes since Ignis had started to breathe for him, about four since they had pulled him out, maybe seven since they had found him, and Six knew how many minutes since he had been submerged, Prompto gasped for breath.  
  
"Yesplease that's good, that's good, keep doing that." Prompto was still out, but he did what Noct told him, anyway. Gladio gently rolled him on his side. Ignis took his jacket off and covered him with it, while Noct fished for a potion. Now that Prompto was breathing, it made sense use it - just in case he really had injuries they weren't aware of. Better safe than sorry.  
  
The gasps were replaced by coughs, then deeper breaths, eventually a groan as Prompto came back around. He moved in an uncoordinated attempt to sit, but his shoulders met with Ignis' hands before he was even two inches up.  
  
"Easy, Prompto. Just breathe. Can you do that for me?"  
  
Prompto nodded. "M s'ry..."  
  
Noct shook his head. "Don't sweat it, we're just glad you're okay."  
  
Ignis cut in again. "Gladio is going to pick you up. We return to our last camp. We can discuss what happened when you're feeling up to the task."  
  
Prompto nodded again,  
  
It was a relief to see him sitting upright in front of the fire and in dry clothes a few hours later, still a little hoarse and tired, but other than that apparently none the worse for wear.  
  
"I misstepped and I fell in. That's... That's the whole story. I kind of panicked, and then I got stuck, and I panicked some more, and then... um. Yeah. Good times."  
  
"What caused the panic?" Ignis asked. "Calm, shallow water alone barely makes for a threat."  
  
"It... sort of does if you can't swim."  
  
Noct frowned. "You... can't swim?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Never got around to learning it."  
  
"How?!"  
  
Prompto shrugged. "I just didn't. I mean, we never really went to the pool. Have you seen the prices? And it's not much of a life skill in the big city, anyway." He gave Noct a lopsided smile. "It obviously is out here, so... I'm pretty set on learning it, now."  
  
Gladio shook his head. "No shit. You should have said something." Prompto opened his mouth to reply, but Gladio just waved him off. "We'll start when you stop looking like a light breeze could knock you over."  
  
"Thanks. I owe you one."  
  
"Damn right you do."


	2. Chapter 2

"Seriously, Prompto, you should have told us." It was a full day later, and Noct still couldn't believe that his friend had never brought the issue up. They had know each other for years, and it irked him that he didn't know something as important as this about him.  
  
"Seriously, Noct, would _you_ have?" Prompto sat down on his cot.  
  
"Well... yeah!" Noct crossed his arms.  
  
Prompto snorted. "And you tell me I'm a bad liar. Look... It didn't even cross my mind until we hit Galdin Quay, and then everything went to shit, and we had more important stuff to do. I'm trying to not just be deadweight already, and this is... I'm sorry I had you worried, it's just embarrassing, okay?"  
  
"I don't know about deadweight, but I don't want you _dead_. "  
  
Prompto threw his pillow. "I'm fine! Unless Gladio dunks me and calls it 'teaching' and 'tough love.'"  
  
Noct just glared.  
  
"...too soon?"  
  
"Too soon." He threw the pillow back. Time to call it a night.  
  
***  
  
Noct was woken by a sound he could not place. It came and went, not quite in regular intervals, but almost - just so that he could not tune it out and fall back asleep. Rasping, a bit like bubbles surfacing, too. Noct blinked, yawned, and listened more closely. Maybe if he knew where it came from, he could do something about it.  
  
Somewhere to his left. Close. Prompto. Prompto's breath.  
  
Noct started up from his sleeping bag, kicked it off as quickly as he could, and turned up the light. Sure, it would wake the others, but that was half the point.  
  
"Prompto? Wake up, come on, you--"  
  
He was mostly buried in his own sleeping bag, only a few bangs in sight. Noct pulled at the fabric to get a better view, and what he saw stopped him midsentence. Prompto's skin was pallid, lips turning purple at the corners. Every laboured breath he took produced that grating, wet sound. When he breathed at all - what really freaked Noct out were the pauses. "Guys! I need help here!"  
  
Gladio was up in an instant, sword in hand, but in the moment he needed to register that they were not under attack, Ignis was up, too, and by their side. He didn't have his glasses on yet, but apparently he saw enough to stop Noct from shaking Prompto's shoulders - he was waking up, thank gods, but not quite there yet. The urgency was in Ignis' face and movements, not his voice - that, he kept gentle. "Gladio, hold him up. Prompto?"  
  
Prompto looked at him, bleary-eyed and half asleep. He only really woke up when he tried to reply, suddenly noticing that he couldn't. A moment later he found himself sitting, leaning against Gladio. Apparently, that helped a little. He started coughing, but at least he seemed to get some air in. "It's alright. We've got you. You'll be fine in a minute."  
  
Noct had an elixir out and ready seconds later. This didn't look like a potion would do. This didn't look like simply cracking it open over his chest would do. He just hoped that they would not have to try, anyway.  
  
Ignis seemed to concur, bringing the can to Prompto's lips when the hacking stopped for a moment. "Careful." Prompto tried, even managed to drink a little, before the coughing started up again. Half of what he'd been trying to swallow just went along with it. "It's alright. You're doing great."  
  
A few sips more, and the periods between the coughing fits grew longer, making the process a little less hit and miss. When the elixir was empty, Prompto was still wheezing, but that awful wet sound was gone, and his lips were at least a few shades away from what they had been this afternoon, when...  
  
Noct handed him another potion. Prompto could hold that one himself, Ignis hand hovering over his in case it didn't stay this way, and drink. When the potion was gone, too, he was breathing easily again. Gladio still held him up, and he let his head drop back against his chest, grateful for the support. "What," he asked, "was that? Because I really don't wanna do it again."  
  
"In that case I would advise to not get any substances into your lungs that don't belong there, in the future." Prompto frowned at Ignis. Ignis frowned back, but that was just the attempt to focus on his face - still not wearing glasses. "The water you aspirated earlier today. Fortunately, it wasn't all that much, but enough to irritate your lungs, it seems. Fluid builds up, and..."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait... What you're trying to tell me is, I almost freaking drowned in that pond, and what I get as a reward is almost freaking drowning _in my own lungs_?" Prompto didn't even try to keep the hysterical edge from his voice.  
  
"That's the gist of it, I'm afraid."  
  
"I'm never going near water again. I won't even shower. You'll have to live with me smelling like a wet garula for the rest of this trip. I don't care."  
  
Noct snorted. "If anything, you smell like wet chocobo."  
  
"I'll teach you how to swim," Gladio repeated his earlier promise, and added, "starting tomorrow."  
  
Prompto pulled away from his chest and looked up. "Tomorrow?!"  
  
"You're scared already, the longer we wait, the worse it'll get. You're going in tomorrow."  
  
"First," Ignis cut in before Noct could protest. "We are all getting a few more hours of sleep."  
  
Prompto shook his head. "I don't think I..."  
  
This time, Noct interrupted. "Lie back down and scoot over."  
  
"What?"  
  
Noct rolled his eyes. "You can't sleep because you're scared this will happen again, so we make sure it doesn't. Easy, right? I got lucky I noticed something was off from over here, so I'm getting closer. Scoot over."  
  
So he did, and lay back down. Noct let himself and his sleeping bag drop right beside him, and draped an arm over his chest. If anything was wrong, he would notice right away, and he knew that Prompto would not mind the comfort, either.  
  
Ignis turned off the light. Everyone went back to sleep.  
  
Only Noct was awake, for once, listening to Prompto's steady breath.


End file.
